The country's old age pension scheme, one of only six such schemes on the Continent, is to come under the scrutiny of researchers for its impact on poverty alleviation. The National University of Lesotho will launch the research on the elderly in the Roma Valley, on August 5.

A statement from the NUL says the 12 months study is to be conducted by its research arm, the Institute of Southern African Studies and will be funded by the NUL  and HelpAge International, a global network of non-profit organisations with a special interest in those on the periphery of society, including the aged.

The project was prompted by the fact that the old-age pensions programme is a new system in Lesotho, according to NUL's information officer Mr Tšiu Tšiu. The other countries in which the pension scheme has been implemented are South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia and Senegal.

The research seeks to establish if the pensions do mitigate the effects of poverty and can help old age pensioners negotiate a better arrangement, should it turns out not to be sufficient, Tšiu said.

It will also help in determining if pensions are a viable poverty alleviation tool in the context of National Vision 2020 and the UN's Millennium Development Goals, the NUL Information officer added.

05 August 2005